Rose of Dawn
by Moon Frost18
Summary: One night after escaping from a mission, Ezio's target lay dead. But the knife in the targets neck was not one of his...Who is the mysterious figure that saves him? And just who is the lovely blue eyed woman that he can't get out of his mind? Ezio/OC.
1. Competition?

**I do not claim to own any of the characters from Assassin's Creed, the only ones that I have any claim to are the ones that I created myself. Other than that, please enjoy!**

Ezio ran over the rooftops from the mission he had just come from, dodging the guards that pursued him. Outward his face was stoic and expressionless, but inside his mind was spinning in disbelief. '_What the hell was that? I didn't even get to land the blow that he died from! That blade in his neck was not one of mine, could someone else have been working the case as well? Or is it an outsider?! There was that dark hooded figure as well…'_ Ezio slipped, losing his concentration momentarily and felt an arrow barely miss his left ear as he fell. Tucking into a small ball, he hit the street below rolling, and sprang up at a dead sprint, ignoring the startled and outraged cries of the people he ran into. '_I have to get out of here before they catch up to me'_ he thought, beginning to panic.

As he passed by a barely noticeable alleyway, a slender arm darted out and caught the back of his cloak as he ran by and jerked him roughly backwards into the alley. Choking from the sudden unexpected pressure on his windpipe, Ezio flailed and fell backwards gracelessly. As he fell, he caught sight of a dark shadow stepping out of his way. He spun as he fell and managed to land in a crouch, anger spreading across his face as he turned to face the shadowed figure. But it had disappeared.

Ezio stood, glancing around the small dark alley as he did so, and nearly missed the blur of motion over his left shoulder. He ducked, but not in time to avoid a solid hit to hit back, and he went sprawling. He began struggling the moment he hit the dirt floor, when he found that his arm had been mercilessly pinned behind his back and whoever it was that had hit him held a thin blade to his throat. He struggled harder, his thoughts trying to gather themselves enough for him to be able to do something when the shadowed figure behind him spoke. "Lie still fool! I'm trying to help you out here and keep you from getting killed by those guards!" Hissed a low voice angrily into his ear.

Outside the hidden alley,the guards were still shouting noisily and the streets were in choas when word of the assassination of the viscount reached the ears of the masses. Soon the guards were more occupied with the task of returning order to the city than focusing on finding the missing killer. "Let me up!" Ezio growled quietly at the person perched solidly on his back, grimacing in pain when his arm was twisted roughly upwards, and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. "I said to keep quiet! I'll let you up when it becomes calm enough to get out of the area. Until then, be patient!" the voice said irritably.

Ezio tried to place the person's gender as he lay there, '_Male maybe? The voice could pass for it, but voices can be changed…the wieght isn't enough to be a full grown man though…There's no way that I was bested by a child!'_ he thought in outrage, as the weight vanished off of his back. He stood stiffly, turning to face his "helper", but they were nowhere to be found. Ezio glanced around in surprise, "How the hell did they manage to move THAT silently?! Even I can't manage that…" he muttered angrily to the air around him. He heard a quiet laugh from above him and started, glaring upwards at the dark robed figure perched above him. "There's a ladder to the left of the alley's entrance. Use it and follow me." The voice called. "How do I know I can even trust you?" Ezio demanded angrily, and the voice replied, laughter coloring their voice, "You don't Ezio." Ezio froze,'_How the…how does he know my name?!'_ he thought, shocked. He shook his head in irritation, '_I'll deal with it once I'm out of the streets.'_ He decided, as he nimbly climbed up the ladder that had been pointed out to him.

Once he had reached the rooftop, he found that his guide had already begun to move without him, and was already several rooftops away from him. Swearing, Ezio followed, moving as swiftly as he could, yet to his continual frustration, the cloaked figure always remained a building ahead of him at all time. He increased his pace the best he could, the ease at which the other person traveled starting to grate on his nerves, '_I'm no slouch at this but come on! This is just getting ridiculous…'_ he thought, by now throughly irritated. His guide flipped neatly head-first off the ledge of the building as Ezio reached the rooftop, and was slipping through a door by the time that he landed in the alley. He caught the figure by the arm before the door closed, and jerked the person roughly back, pinning them to the wall, his dagger pressed against their throat. "I've had enough of this," he growled "Just who the hell are you? You aren't with the Brotherhood, that much is obvious by the color of your cloak, so just who in the world are you?" he demanded, pressing his dagger even harder against the person's throat.

"I can't tell you that just yet Ezio." The shadow replied calmly, standing at ease and relaxed, as if there wasn't an angry assassin ready to kill them. "Well I've had enough!" Ezio said, irritated, moving his hand as if to grasp the hood that hid his aide's face in shadow. Before his fingers even brushed the fabric of the hood, Ezio found himself on the ground, wracked in pain. "What the. Fuck. Was that. For?" Ezio gasped out. "I told you. Who I am is not for you to know yet. It was either that or I would have had to kill you." The figure said calmly. "I appoligize, but I do not wish to see you dead." they finished, offering him a hand. Ezio angrily brushed if off as he stood stiffly, "I'm not following you any further." He said angrily, and the figure laughed. "Oh? And just how do you think you can escape me?" the figure asked, appearing in front of him as he turned to leave. "As I said, I was sent to guide you somewhere, and I intend to do just that, whether you with to come or not." The figured said flatly, backing Ezio into a corner. "You have someone who wished for me to guide you to his new place of residence. You know him as Leo, I believe?" the figure stated curiously. Ezio stared at his guide in surprise, and then anger flooded his features hidden beneath his hood, "_Leo_ sent you to get me?" Ezio asked in outrage and disbelief. "Yes. Now I would advise you follow me. Stay close, and keep up." Said the shadowed figure, as it turned swiftly, and continued once more through the door that it had been headed through previously. Ezio followed quickly, irritation still clouding his face, and the two dogded through crowds of people until his guide stopped outside a modest sized building.

The figure rapped sharply on the door, in a pattern that he could barely discern, and the door flung wide open. "You made it back! Was your mission successful? Did you find Ezio there as well? Is he here?" Leonardo Da Vinci asked the cloaked figure in excitement, his bright blue eyes dancing. "Leo." Ezio said, his voice dangerously low, his anger plain in his tone, and Leo looked at the dark hooded figure beside him and swallowed hard, "He wasn't happy to have you bring him here I take it?" Leo asked the person nervously, and the hood shook back and forth. "What the hell was this all about?!?!" Ezio roared, pinning his best friend to the wall nearest to him, and Leo stammered an excuse. "Well my friend here was in the area…and I knew you would be too…and you didn't know that I was here, so I asked if you could be brought here so that you would know where to find me…" Leo said quickly, "But you know…it would be a lot easier to judge your reaction if I could see your face…" he finished nervously, thinking that his closest friend was moments away from murdering him.

Ezio stood very still for a moment, glaring at Leo, then released the terrified artist and stormed into Leo's home, his hood falling back as he walked. Leo and the hooded figure traded glances, Leo's one of fear, and the other's of calmness, and both headed inside after the angry assassin. They found Ezio standing in front of a warm fire, and both watched him for a minute, noting the tension that lined his frame. "Ezio, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you would like… I have a spare room upstairs that I had made for you…" Leo said nervously, breaking the silence, and Ezio glared at him. "So nice of you to send, whoever that person is, to find me just to tell me that." Ezio snarled, gesturing towards the hooded figure, and Leo laughed. "Oh no, I asked that if you were there, that you be directed towards my home, your escort just embellished the details…" he finished lamely, and the cloaked figure beside him turned and gave Leo a stare of blatant disbelief from under the darkened hood. "Whatever." Ezio sighed, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck, "Just who is he anyway? And what mission was he on, _besides_ finding me?" Ezio added when he saw Leo's mouth open to speak, and Leo smiled. "I think friend, you mean, who is _she_?" Leo said with a grin, and Ezio's eyes widened in disbelief "_WHAT?!"_

**A/N: Thanks for reading this first chapter! Let me know what you think, but no flames please. I'll update as often as I can =]**


	2. What is a Name?

**A/N: So same disclaimer as always of course, I do not own any of the characters except for the ones that I created. Also I feel the urge to give you readers an bit of insight into some of the characters- For starters, Leo is basically the energetic pseudo brother of Ezio, and they have this rather brotherly relationship that's love/hate, so I've tried to have that show. Leo also is going to be portrayed as basically one cheerful and happy dude. His mood will change quickly, but that's just how I'm portraying him for the sake of this story. Next is Ezio, who will be a little bit out of character I'm sure, but I haven't gotten a good base on the attitude he'll have in the game yet…so he'll be subject to change a bit still. : ( Rose...i'm not entirely sure about how she'll act most the time, so she's just developing as I write…So that's what I thought I would inform everyone of, that and that this is a redone chapter, as will the next two. I took your guy's advice and tried to balance the attitudes better since I know I was lacking in that, so let me know if it's better or not! :) **

Leo's grin broadened, and Ezio stared in disbelief as the cloaked figure swept back the hood hiding their features, and a woman of about 20 years revealed her face. Bright blue eyes contrasted with her tan skin and dark honey toned hair, with pink lips set in a amused smile. Ezio was struck by the fact that something so lovely could have so easily bested him, and face reflected his thoughts, causing the woman's smile to widen. "Not what you expected?" Leo asked with a smirk, and Ezio shook his head. "How…" he stopped to compose himself himself, "May I know your name now?" he inquired curiously, and she laughed. "You may know it, if you know how to ask properly." She told him in a lilting voice that was different than the one he had heard before, a smile dancing in her eyes and on her lips as she taunted him, and Leo was amused to see his usually suave friend so out of his element and unbalanced. Ezio was silent for a moment, thinking, then walked directly up to her, and bowing formally in front of her, he took one of her gloved hands, and placed a soft kiss of the back of it, holding her gaze with his own hazel eyes.

She refused to let his straightforward stare unnerve her, although she was flustered beyond belief, she refused to let him see. He released her hand and straightened up, "Will that do, lady of shadows?" he asked her politely, and she laughed. "Well I suppose…but perhaps I don't feel like sharing that kind of information this late at night." She stated with a , and turned to head up the staircase in the corner, "Goodnight Leo" she said with a grin as she passed him, "That was cruel and wonderful. Goodnight lovely one." Leo said with a grin, and she vanished up the stairs, Ezio staring after her in disbelief. "Did she…really just…" Ezio stammered, and Leo laughed. "That's how she is. She's one of a kind, that one is. Quite a remarkable combination of…beings…" he finished softly, and Ezio looked at him in confusion. Leo shook his head, "You'll find out in time as you come to know her. I'll ask you not to judge her harshly when you find out. It's simply what she is. " He said to his confused friend, who nodded slowly, not understanding what Leo was meaning, but he let it go.

"So how did you two meet?" Ezio asked casually after Leo and him had settled into the chairs infront of the warm fire, each man holding a glass of red liquid. "Don't worry about anything between her and I. She's not that type of woman." Leo replied, knowing that was what his friend was really asking, "But she was the one who found me actually. She wanted to know if I could come up with a design that would conceal a weapon better, and we became fast friends!" Leo finished enthusiastically. "So is she really an assassin like I am? Or something more?" Ezio inquired, and Leo's happy smile dimmed slightly. "Actually, that's one of the things that I've never been able to get her to talk about. That and anything that goes along with her past." Leo said, and Ezio's mouth pulled into a frown. The topic slowly shifted from the woman upstairs when Ezio realized that his friend was being careful not to slip and mention her name to him, and the two talked until late into the night, only retiring when the fire had burned down to just coals. "Well my friend, I believe it's time to head to sleep." Leo said to the drowsy assassin lounging in the chair next to him, who nodded in agreement. Leo showed Ezio where his room was, and after making sure his friend was settled, headed to his own room to sleep.

Ezio removed his white robe and his tunic, and sprawled on the bed, feeling the knots in his back slowly relax away and then seeing that the window was open, he rolled off the bed to close it. As he reached to draw it shut, he saw that it opened to a balcony, and stepped outside for a moment. The cool nights air swirled around him, raising goosebumps on his arms. Ezio stood there a moment longer, enjoying the calmness of the night when a dark shadow flashed out of the window of the room next to him. '_That's her room…what in the world was that thing?'_ Ezio wondered, peering over the balcony egde, listening for the sound of movement below. It was a moment before he was able to hear even the faintest rustling of leaves as something passed over them, and then a shape appeared in the courtyard below. A large animal padded quietly into the courtyard, paused at the fountain in its center to drink, and began to pace. Curious, Ezio watched as it found a large rock hidden off to the side near the base of the courtyard wall, and it leapt nimbly from the top of the rock to the flattened top of the wall. Ezio's breath caught when the moon broke through the clouds and illuminated the creature. It was a midnight black wolf, one of the largest he had ever seen, weighing over eighty pounds at his estimate.

As the moon fully revealed itself, the creature sat perched on the wall and curled its tail around itself, unaware that it was being watched. When all of the clouds had dissappated, Ezio could clearly see the wolf. It was a magnificent and powerful looking creature, '_What is it doing here though?'_ he wondered, as the wolf lifted its head to look at the sky. Silence fell over the courtyard, and the wolf's head dropped slightly, a howl so low that Ezio could barely make it out building in its throat. Its sad song built in volume as it raised its head to the night sky, and listening to it, Ezio felt his own sorrow from his families death reflected in its song. "Ah. So you've found her." A voice from behind him said quietly, and Leo entered the balcony next to Ezio. Ezio spared his friend a glance that Leo ignored, "Just listen to her." Leo told his friend quietly, and both turned to watch the wolf once again. Her song continued, singing sorrow to the moon, her voice bringing tears to Leo's eyes "She must have had such a hard life to sound that sad…" Leo mummered, and Ezio looked at him oddly, then back to the wolf when the howl cut off abruptly. It had turned and was staring at the two men, and Ezio was surprised to see such an expression of shock on an animals face.

It silently leapt down from the wall, vanishing over the edge and out of sight, and the silence that had held the courtyard vanished, the sounds of the night returning. "How long has it been coming here?" Ezio asked quietly, and Leo thought for a moment, "About 6 months. Some nights she knows when I'm here and continues, but I suspect that your prescense gave her a bit of a shock" Leo said with a chuckle. "We should get back to bed though, she's not likely to make an appearance again tonight." Leo continued with a yawn, and Ezio quietly murmmered his agreement. Both men headed back to their rooms, Ezio shutting the balcony window securely behind him, then crawled under the blankets of his bed, sleep claiming him quickly.

Leo waited for his friend to fall asleep, only waiting about ten minutes before he walked to the room next to Ezio's and opened the door. He glanced at the bed as he entered, and seeing that it was empty, the sheets thrown back, he shook his head with a smile. The night breeze blew the thin curtain back, and Leo cracked the window open wide enough to allow a person to fit through easily. He leaned out the window and let out a low whistle, and heard the telltale rustle from the bushes below. The scrabble of nails sounded against the roof tiles as the wolf appeared over the edge. Leo stepped back and allowed the wolf to glide through the window. He brushed a hand across its back "Goodnight midnight one. Thank you for the lovely song." he murmmered to it quietly, and it nudged him with its nose, then leapt onto the bed. Leo left the dark wolf to curl up and retired to his own room. The creature sighed deeply, its bright amber eyes closing as it drifted off to sleep, and silence fell over the house until early the next morning.

**And as always, leave me a review if you'd like, let me know what to improve on to make the story better, or if you just feel like giving me props on the second story that I've done on here! :) **


	3. Unpleasant wake ups and courtesans

**A/N : So…I decided that I was tired of rewriting that disclaimer…so if you really want to read it, it's just going to be on those first two and it can be referred back to as needed =] Anywho- this is another redo chapter, let me know what you think! I hope that I've been able to edit this fairly well, but let me know alright? Also- a special thanks to heather, your review was awesome, and thank you so much for letting me know exactly what to work on. And your question about Rose will be answered in the next chapter for the most part, but really I suppose that either term will work =] I read a book and what she is was what the main female character of the book was, and I wanted to put something like that into a story and I just happened to be playing AC that day…so thus this story was born! Soooo….enjoy!**

"Good morning!!" Leo sang as he burst into Ezio's room. "Rise and shine sleepyhead!" He yelled before jerking the covers roughly off of the assassing that tried to burrow deeper into the bed with a groan. Ezio growled in irritation as the cool morning air hit his bare upper body, and then he groaned in pain as Leo pulled open the curtains and a piercing brightness filled the room. "Leo, what the hell do you want this early in the morning?!" Ezio groaned, hiding his head under a pillow. "Oh don't be so pouty…" Leo laughed as he stole several pillows off his friends bed "Breakfast is ready!" he finished sunnily as he sauntered out of the room. Ezio flung a pillow at Leo's retreating back, and the artist ran down the stairs with a laugh, leaving his friend to glare angrily at the doorway. Ezio grumbled to himself as he got up and pulled on a clean shirt, and turned at the sound of footsteps behind him. The woman from the night before was standing at the doorway with a smirk on her lips.

"Good morning milady." Ezio said with a bow, his unbuttoned shirt falling around him, revealing a well toned chest. She nodded to him and then took a sip of the cup that she held cupped in her hands before speaking. "You think that was pleasant? Just wait until he's in a _really_ good mood one morning." She told him with a smile, and Ezio cringed inwardly. "Anyways, he sent me to remind you that breakfast is ready." She said and turned to walk down the stairs. Ezio grumbled "Like I didn't get that hint not 5 minutes ago. Lord he's impatient." He said to himself, buttoning his shirt before heading downstairs and joining the other two. "Look who decided to finally join us!" Leo said enthsiastically, and Ezio glared at him, "Shut up Leo" he said grumpily, and the woman and Leo both laughed. Breakfast ensued, and by the end of it Ezio was frustrated that he still hadn't gotten her name from either of them. "I'm going to wander the town." He said to no one in particular, and Leo bounded to his feet with a smile. "Perfect! Will you escort my friend here to pick up some things for me? They're in some of the parts of town that are dangerous for a lady to go alone." Leo asked, and Ezio glanced at the woman, who raised an eyebrow at Leo. "I'm more than capable of defending myself Leo. You know that as well as he does." She said pointedly, and Leo grinned. "Yes but I want you two to get to know one another. And this is a perfect opportunity!" He declared, and his two companions winced at his overbearing enthusiasm, "Fine." They both told the bubbly artist, and Leo cheered. '_He is way too happy about this…'_ They both thought, watching Leo dance around the room singing to himself.

"Be ready to leave within the hour." Ezio said to the woman next to him, who nodded and slipped upstairs. Leo turned to him with a smile once she had left, "So what do you think of her, my friend? Is she not a delightful creature? You'd better not hurt her though if you go after her." Leo said, his excitement slipping away and a serious look crossed his face. Ezio looked at his in surprise, "I don't think I could catch that one if I tried, let alone hurt her. But yes, she is quite lovely. Will you not tell me her name?" He enquired one last time, and Leo shook his head. "I'm afraid that that is not something I can give you. It is hers alone, and she will let you know when it suits her and not a moment before." He told Ezio who nodded and resigned himself to calling her by…something. The two friends cleared the table quickly, and Ezio wandered upstairs once again to find where he had placed his shoes, and to retrieve his cloak. Leo frowned when he saw what Ezio was wearing, but didn't comment, and the two sat in silence until the woman appeared at the top of the stairs and began to descend down them.

Ezio fekt his breath catch, and then cursed himself silently for it while composing his face into a casual smile. "You look lovely dear!" Leo declared, and she smiled sunnily. "Why thank you Leo" she said, spinning in a circle, the midnight blue dress she wore twirling around her. Her blue eyes shone with pleasure at the compliment and a small smile graced her lips as she regarded the two men. Ezio smiled at her for a moment, still shocked inwardly but unable to look away from the breathtaking woman in front of him. Now that she no longer wore the dark cloak that she had worn the previous night, he could see her more clearly. She was slender but not frail, with an athletic build that still retained plenty of curves, and her hair that had been previously bound was tied only at the base of her neck, its long tresses falling to the middle of her shoulderblades. Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement when she caught sight of his stare before she turned to Leo. "Do you have the list of what you wanted me to get?" she asked him, and Leo nodded while fishing around in his pockets for where he had placed the parchment that contained the list of supplies. Upon finding it, he handed it to her with a great flourish, making her laugh, and the two turned to face the young assassin, who stood slowly. "Well you two should be off then! Ezio take good care of this treasure!" Leo told his friend with a grin, and Ezio nodded, not allowing any of his thoughts on her appearance appear on his face.

A flicker of confusion showed in her blue eyes for a mere second and then vanished as she stepped forward with a smile to slip her arm through the one that Ezio offered. The two left the house, ignoring the cheerful goodbyes of the artist behind them, Ezio rolling his eyes at his friends antics. They walked in silence for a ways before the tension was broken by Ezio, "You look lovely this morning milady" in an odd voice, causing her to look up, confusion apparent on her face at his voice. "Thank you." She replied softly, the smile slowly fading from her mouth. '_That sounds so odd…I wonder what could be bothering him?'_ she wondered, glancing up at her escort out of the corner of her eye. He noticed and arched an eyebrow at her, and she dropped her eyes to focus on the path they were walking on. "You know…you don't have to follow me if you don't wish to. I'm sure that there must be other things that you would rather spend your time doing then following a mere woman around…" she told him with a mocking smile, and he looked down at her in surprise. She still had her eyes focused on the path when he suddenly stopped, and she looked at him in confusion. "Milady…" he said, "I can think of nothing I would rather do right now then to spend the time I can with a lovely creature such as yourself. That and I still intend on knowing your name, and I'm curious how it is that you bested me so easily last night. That quite a feat, especially for a woman." He told her honestly, and she gave him a smile. "If you want to know my name still, you'll have to find the right people to ask. As for whatever skills I may have, they come naturally to me much as breathing comes naturally. I was trained from the age of a very young child to do what I do." She finished as she began to walk forward again, Ezio falling into step next to her.

"Out of curiousity, did you happen to hear anything odd last night?" Ezio asked, and her expression became carefully guarded. "I heard nothing." She told him easily, eliciting a glance from him that she smiled slightly at. "But you must have heard something, that wolf was howling right outside your window practically." Ezio persisted, and her expression became annoyed. "As I said before, I did not hear any sounds from last night that were odd." She told him in a dismissive voice that signaled that the topic was closed, and Ezio's forehead furrowed as he thought to himself. '_How could she not have heard it? And why is she so touchy about it?'_ he wondered silently, watching the woman next to him carefully, but her expression remained slightly guarded. She paused outside of a shop that sold herbs, glanced at the parchment she held and then walked inside. Ezio followed her, and then wandered the store aimlessly as she discussed the price of some herb that Leo wanted with the store's owner. The two finally settled at an acceptable price, and Ezio and her walked out of the store to the next destination. Ezio smirked at the catcalls that were directed towards them, and mentally made a note of where to go if he ever wished to follow up on one of them, and the woman that he escorted walked noiselessly through it all with a gradually darkening expression. She had had enough of listening to it all when she turned into the nearest shop and placed a hand solidly on his chest, "Do not follow me. Why don't you go talk to one of those _women_ while you wait?" she spat out in irritation at the whole scene, leaving a speechless Ezio out on the street with several courtesans as she she turned on her heel and firmly closed the shop door behind her.

"Men." She muttered disgustedly as she looked around the store, and seeing no shopkeeper out in front, decided to wander and find Leo's art supplies that he needed to have replaced. She sifted through the paint collection that the store had, and found the colors that Leo had requested, then turned to see a small round man come bustling out of the back. His eyes widened with delight when he saw her standing there, "Rose! You've come back to pay us a visit, have you?" he asked her with a smile, and she returned his smile. "That I have uncle. I need to place an order for Leo about some stone and to purchase a few of your paints." She told him, her usual cheerful attitude returning and her unhappiness at Ezio fading marginally. "Ah Leo. He is one of our best customers, that man is." the short man said as he bustled around his small shop. "The usual order then?" he asked her, and Rose shrugged helplessly, "I don't even know what passes for the usual order with him anymore." She said with a slight laugh and handed him the list that Leo had given her, and the man wrote them down on a small pad and pinned it on the wall. "Nothing too hard to find." He told her easily, and Rose smiled at him, then turned with a sigh to look outside. Ezio still stood outside the shop, but with his back to her, and at least he had moved from the entryway, she noted. "Is that man a friend of yours?" Rose's uncle asked her, and she rolled her eyes, "If you must call him something, then I suppose that would do. He's more of a continual source of irritation right now. I mean honestly, is it that hard to ignore the calls of those _harpies_?" she asked him, trying to hide her bitterness, and the man laughed. "Oh my dear, with your lovelyness, I would not think that any of them held more than a seconds thought in his head." He told her with a smile, and she sighed. "Now come back soon, you hear? If I know Leo, I'm sure he has at least a dozen more things that he wants you to find before the day is done." He told her, handing her a small satchel with the paints as he pushed her towards the door. Rose groaned in agreement, wished her uncle a good day, and walked out of the store into the sunlight.

Ezio looked at her calmly, "Are we ready to move on?" he asked her politely, still reeling inwardly at her abrupt dismisal, and she nodded curtly. She began walking without him, moving so quickly that he had to jog to catch up with her before falling into step beside her. "Did you find what you needed there?" he asked her curiously eyeing the satchel she held, and she nodded, refusing to speak still, and Ezio sighed inwardly. They stopped at several more places, and outside the final one, she once more forbid him to follow her. He rolled his eyes in mock irritation, stood patiently outside and waited for her to return. While he waited, a young man approached him, "How in the world did you manage to get her to even agree to go anywhere with you?" the man asked Ezio in minor surprise. Ezio glanced at the man "I don't know what you mean. Nor could I tell you her name, so don't bother asking." He said, and the young man laughed. "Her name? Oh I already know her name. But if I know my her, she's making you find out on your own, but deliberately making it hard for you to learn it, am I right? And what I meant is that she usually goes to lengths to avoid being escorted anywhere." he explained to Ezio, whose expression changed to one of surprise. "Would you be willing to tell me what her name is? And how do you know it?" he asked the young man curiously. "Two silver coins." He said, and Ezio placed them in his outstretched hand, "Her name is Rosabella Alba Calandra, and I know because I'm her cousin." He told Ezio quickly, and then grinned at the assassin before darting down a side alley, "She'll be furious if she found I told you so it's our secret!" he called over his shoulder, and Ezio nodded his head slowly. "Rosabella Alba…Beautiful rose of dawn…" he muttered to himself, translating her name.

Rose emmerged from the shop and narrowed her eyes at the assassin who waited outside for her, "Why do you look so pleased with yourself?" she asked him warily, and he smiled at her. "Nothing milady. It's just been a nice day and I have had such a lovely lady to keep me company." He told her with a smirk, saving her name until he thought of a good time to use it. "Why don't I believe you…" she muttered, and he grinned, looping her arm in his and walked her back to Leo's as the afternoon sunlight began to fade. Ezio tried to talk with her about small trivial things, only occasionally getting distracted by the courtesans calling to him, but she remained mostly silent as her irritation at the other womens calls began again, and he sighed in dissappointment. "You know, would it kill you to try to be friendly?" he asked her, and she turned to him with such a look of fury that he took a step backwards. "What would you like me to say to you Ezio?! Would you like me to be as friendly as the courtesans that continually call to you? Is that the only kind of woman that you know how to deal with, or are you just completely incompetent at conversation's that aren't interrupted by their calls? Perhaps I don't wish to talk because there's no point when the person who I would like to talk with is always being distracted by women like that?" she said to him angrily, and Ezio stared at her in shock. She threw him one last disgusted look, and angrily walked away. He stood there dumbstruck for a moment and then ran after her.


	4. What Lies Beneath

**A/N : Disclaimer : See previous chapters. Other than that, here's the newest chapter! You finally get to learn a little about Rose, and I'll try to give you more of an insight over the next chapter or so. Ezio is probably a bit out of character again, but I think I'm setting it at the time before he's as wonderfully accomplished assassin, so he's not absolutely perfect and it gives me a little leeway on him for any mistakes :P So enjoy the newest chapter, and if you haven't looked over the last two that I reworked, you should check them out and let me know how I did since editing like that is not my best strong point :(**

Wait!" he called as he moved through the crowd after her, pushing guards and people out of his way, ignoring their shouts of anger as he tailed her. '_I've got to get a handle on this!'_ Rose thought to herself, feeling her other begin to struggle to free itself to help her escape "I don't need your help! Wait until nightfall, and you can come out, but until then, please stay hidden!" she pleaded with it, and felt it resign itself back momentarily to the recesses of her mind, and she sighed in relief. A strong hand caught her arm, and she cried out as she was spun. As she turned, she quickly raised her arm to connect with the person's temple but that arm was caught before it could reach its target. Instead of it being some drunkard like she had expected, she found herself staring into the frustrated hazel eyes of Ezio, and he pressed backwards into an alley, pinning her to the wall with his body. "I appoligize if my actions have caused you distress." He said, and her eyes widedned when she realized his face merely inches away from hers. "I don't enjoy spending a day listening to them calling after the person whose company I would rather like to enjoy." She replied to him, looking away, and Ezio laughed. "And I would much rather spend my day listening to you than hearing them call. Their voices pale in comparison to yours, and they could never match your beauty. I never meant to cause you distress Rose" he told her in a gentle voice, and this time she heard something else in it, something that made her feel lightheaded. "You…you know my name then?" she asked him, and he smiled, leaning in closer. "Rosabella Alba Calandra" he murmmered into her ear, his breath tickling her neck and she shivered. Ezio smiled at it, and brushed his hand across her cheek, "Is that not your name?" he enquired with a smirk, his hazel eyes darkening as he leaned in closer and he struggled momentarily to maintain self control before he gave into the more persuasive side of his brain.

"It just might be. But what is in a name?" She asked him with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around his neck and unable to help herself, placed a gentle, cautious kiss on his cheek. Or what was supposed to be his cheek. At the last moment, Ezio turned his head and she ended up kissing him directly on the lips, and her eyes widened in surprise, a hot blush rising to her face. She pulled back immediately stammering out an appology, when he placed his hand at the small of her back and turned her face back to his with a finger of his other. "Don't appologize for what I don't regret." He murmmered to her as he pressed another kiss to her lips, and felt her gasp. '_There's just something about her that I feel insanely drawn to and I can't stop myself from acting…'_ Ezio thought before he lost himself again. The kiss deepened until it reached the point where Rose felt the other rising up again, and broke free from Ezio. She shook her head to force her other side back,squeezing her eyes shut and Ezio stared at her in confusion. Rose said a quiet appology, felt him press his lips to hers briefly before lifting her face upwards again. He looked at her in confusion, "Rose open your eyes and look at me please. If I offended you, I'm sorry and I promise to never repeat that, but please, look at me." He said softly, his hazel eyes clouding with confusion when he saw tears sliding down her cheeks, and her shake her head slightly before slowly opening her eyes. Ezio pulled back in surprise for staring back at him were not the bright blue eyes that he knew she had, but a pale amber yellow. "Your eyes…What…are you…?" he asked, as she slid down the wall behind her, heedless of the dirt that she sat in. "I'm sorry…" she said softly, bending over herself and wrapping her arms around her sleder frame. What happened next made Ezio's eyes fill with shock.

Rose cried once in pain, then the air around her shimmered, and in her place sat a large black wolf. Ezio pressed back against the wall, as far away from the animal as he could as he looked at it warily. "What in the world are you? Some kind of demon?" he asked in a disbelieving voice. The look that the wolf gave him was of pure anguish, and it lowered itself to lay on the ground with a whine. Ezio stared down at the animal that had formerly been the woman that he had been speaking with, and looking at the unhappiness that showed in every part of its body, he knelt to the ground cautiously. "You aren't going to try and hurt me are you?" he asked it softly, and the wolf buried its head under a large paw with a whine. "I'll take that as a no then…" Ezio murmmered with a slight smile, stretching a hand to touch the dark furred head. He felt the animal tremble at his touch, and frowned, "If you mean me no harm, than I have no desire to harm you either. You or your human counterpart." He told it quietly, and it licked his outstretched palm gently. Ezio stepped back as it moved to stand. It sighed heavily and shook itself, the dirt falling easily from its coat, then nudged his hand once before the air shimmered around it once again. Rose stood there in its place, and turned away from him, refusing to meet his eyes.

"What are you exactly?" he asked her curiously, staying where he stood, and she sighed. "I am what I am. And what I am is a result of an old family curse. When one of my family reaches adulthood, it comes out. Up until that point we are just like everyone else, and then everything changes. We aren't like this by choice, believe me." She told him tiredly, exhaustion from changing during the day catching up to her, and had turned to leave the small alley when he caught her hand. "One thing before you vanish and I never get to see you again- Do you regret that kiss?" he asked her quietly, and she shook her head "No. I don't regret it. I do regret that you had to see that though…" she trailed off as she slipped away from his grip, and he watched her leave. He stood there for a moment, Leo's words ringing in his head, and then shook his head, "Whatever she may be, there's no way I can lose her." He decided, and set out after her. He was able to catch a glimpse of her through the crowd and sprinted towards her. Within moments he caught up to her, and spun her around quickly. As soon as she had spun to face him, he caught her in his arms and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Rose. I…I can't lose you. You are the first woman that I have ever felt like this towards and I can't ignore that, whatever you may be." He told her, pressing his forehead against hers. Rose looked at him, and shook her head slowly. "You aren't serious about that. What you feel towards me is a result of what I am. It draws people to me, but what you feel cannot possibly be real. After you saw that, how is it that you don't want to lead a hunt after me? Nothing good can come of me being with someone, there's a reason that I don't have a fa-" Rose broke off, looking away.

"Because I remembered something that Leo said. He said that you were one of a kind, that much I believed before I knew about the other part of you, but he also had asked me that when I find out, that I should not judge you harshly. And even if what I am feeling towards you is a result of whatever you are, it doesn't mean I don't enjoy simply spending time in your company and getting to know you." Ezio told her simply, and saw a faint smile form on her lips. "That silly man…" she muttered, and then shook her head. "So you're really not afraid or disgusted about what I am?" she asked him curiously, and he shook his head. "I'm surprised, but the only reason for that is that I didn't know that such things existed in the world still. And it's not as if you asked to be what you are, it's nothing I can blame you for. Besides, I've seen stranger things in my life." He told her quietly and then laughed suddenly as he realized something. She looked at him in disbelief, "What in the world are you laughing at?" she asked him, and he only laughed harder. "On the first night we met, you were so strong, now I know why. It's easy to see how you managed to pin me if you had that other half helping you." He told her, and she blushed at him. "Now come, let's get back to Leo's before he sends a troop of guards out to find us." Ezio said, smiling as he hooked her arm with his. Rose smiled at him as she fell into step beside him.

Leo opened the door immediately when they reached it and ushered them inside. "Did you find all my mater—" Leo trailed off, catching sight of the red in Rose's eyes, and swung around to face Ezio. "What did you do to her?! If you hurt her Ezio, I swear I will poison your drink tonight." he told his friend darkly, and Ezio waved him back impatiently."Relax Leo. I know about her. And I don't think that I need to be poisoned tonight, or any other night, do I Rose?" Ezio asked of the young woman. "You're sweet Leo, but no. Ezio did not hurt me, he actually handled it remarkably well. Not as well as you did however." She hastened to ammend when Leo looked at his friend in surprise, even more so when Rose rested her head against Ezio's shoulder. "I remembered what you said Leo. And I took your advice." Ezio told him calmly. Leo stared at him. "And here I thought you would run screaming or try and kill her…" he muttered in a undertone, and Ezio looked down at the dozing girl with a faint smile. "Does changing like that always wear her out like this?" Ezio asked Leo, who shook his head. "No. I suspect that this was mostly from the stress of having you know more than anything else. That and the only times I've ever seen her like that are in the cover of night, never in broad daylight… Why don't you go put her to bed?" He suggested to Ezio, who nodded, and picked up the sleepy female in his arms and carried her up the stairs.

Ezio placed the exhausted woman of the bed, and covered her with a blanket before he lay down next to her. She drifted off quickly and he heard her breathing deepen and her muscles relax slowly as she fell into a deeper sleep. '_Days ago I would have thought it impossible for me to feel like this about anyone, yet here I am…I wonder if it's really because of what she is or not…'_ Ezio thought to himself as he closed the door behind him, and then another thought occurred to him that made him pause and frown. "Leo. I have a question for you." Ezio stated, his friend looking up in concern at the concern in Ezio's voice, and motioned for him to continue. "If Rose was ever found out, about what she is and that she's an assassin, she would have to die wouldn't she? The Brotherhood probably wouldn't tolerate competition for long…" Ezio asked Leo, worry shadowing his face. Leo was quiet for a moment as he thought. "You know, I couldn't say…but I would imagine that she would be fine. I mean it's not like she's some helpless maiden." He told Ezio, and Ezio nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. She's _not_ some helpless maiden, she's an assassin in her own right as well. They're going to see her as a competitor that would need to be eliminated." Ezio told Leo, he nodded.

"So you want to find a way to keep them from learning that there's another asssassin in town?" Leo asked slowly, and Ezio nodded. "Well I suppose her killing your target was a bit of poor planning then…unless she works for a faction that's against the Brotherhood. But I've never seen her get orders like you in any way so I have to assume she freelances…"Leo mused. "It would be helpful if we could figure out her story…That would help us know how to keep her identity a secret. Plus I'm insanely curious about her past." Leo told Ezio with a grin, and his friend shook his head in amusement. "Tell me about the night she came here." Ezio requested, and Leo fidgeted slightly. "Well you see…I may have lied about how we met…but I'll tell you how we really did meet." Leo said, and began the story.


	5. The last of the Calandras

**A/N: First off, I don't own any of the characters, save for the ones that are of my own creation. Second, to all of you out there that are still willing to read this after such a enormous delay- I lost the thumbdrive that had all of this on it and it somehow magically reappeared in my dryer yesterday…I'm thankful that it wasn't damaged and everything was still working though! I am incredibly sorry to make you wait forever, and I promise to be better about updating this in the future! I understand if you've given up on me ever finishing this, but if you still want to read and review my chapters as I post them, I would love to hear what you have to say **

_**Flashback!**_

Leo bustled around his work studio, cleaning brushes and sweeping away the stone fragments that littered the floor around his latest scultpture as he got ready to close up work for the night when he heard the shouts of guards , he wandered over to the window to look out on the street, and saw a large group of guards chasing after something that he couldn't quite make out. Shrugging to himself, Leo turned away from the window and continued cleaning up his studio. Moments later, there was loud pounding coming from the main door accompanied by a someone shouting through it, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Leo grumbled as he set down his broom and walked towards the door. He opened it, glaring at the person who had been making all the noise. "My appoligies for disturbing you so late, but have you had any unusual visitors tonight? A dangerous criminal is on the loose and we must capture them." The guard standing outside asked him, and Leo nodded to himself before he answered. "So that was what all the commotion that I heard was all about…" he mused, "No. I have had no visitors, invited or otherwise at all today. I wish you misfortune in finding the criminal though." Leo said with a grin before firmly closing the door in the guards face.

"Well that was fun.." he said to the empty foyer and then headed back to finish his nightly cleaning. He hummed cheerily to himself as he worked, and soon the room looked fairly tidy again and Leo proudly surveyed his work. "And to celebrate the completion of my works, I think a glass of tea would be perfect along with a stroll through the courtyard!" he declared happily, and went off to make his tea. He waited impatiently for water to boil, poking the kettle with a stick every now and again muttering "Why won't you boil….? I want my tea…" in a pouty voice, and then began dancing happily once the water bubbled. "Tea!" he declared happily as he sipped the hot beverage in his cup and he wandered outside to the courtyard ajoining his house. "Here looks like a wonderful place to sit" Leo said happily to himself and he perched on the edge of a large rock. He sipped his tea and looked around the small courtyard and the variety of plants that were growing there, humming happily and bouncing slightly.

A soft whimper reached his ears, and he stopped humming abruptly. Looking around the moonlight lit courtyard, he saw nothing, so he set his tea down beside him and began wandering, looking for where the sound came from. He checked around the fountain, scultpures and benches "Nothing…" he muttered to himself, and then he thought to look through the bushes. He was peering over one of the last bushes when he heard the same soft cry, and he stepped around the bush to see what it was. A large dark shape lay on the ground behind the bush, and Leo knelt beside it, unable to see what it was in the darkness of the shadows.

He reached out and touched the shape, and felt thick fur under his hand and the base of an animals ear. Gently, he coaxed the animal to stand and moved it out into the moonlight where he could see it more clearly. Once it stepped out from behind the bush, moonlight illuminated it as a large black wolf. It limped several steps before collapsing with a whine, and as it lay there, Leo saw the broken shaft of an arrow imbedded in its shoulder.

Kneeling next to the creature, Leo gently pushed it to lay on its side and he examined the wound. The shaft was deeply imbedded into the shoulder, and the dark fur around it was heavily matted with blood. "You poor beast…they must have shot at you thinking you were the person that they were looking for…although that's a rather difficult thing to mistake.." Leo said to it, and its amber yellow eyes stared up at him. "I should move you inside and get this wound cleaned up, then I'll send you on your way when you're all healthy." Leo said as the wolf began to struggle to its feet again.

Leo rocked back on his heels as the wolf stood, when he saw the air around the animal shimmer faintly, and a new figure stood in its place. "That would be wonderful if you could help me get this out…" a soft voice told him tiredly. Leo looked up curiously "Are you my wolf friend that was just here?" he asked the figure, completely unphased by what he just saw, and heard a snort of laughter. "You're a curious one, that you are. I suppose I am. Now can you help me please?" it asked again, and Leo stood up with a smile. "I can indeed!" he declared, and practically dragged the figure after him into the house.

He marched straight to his kitchen, and without pausing directed his visitor to sit on one of the chairs as he began preparing more water and bandages. "Now take that cloak off so I can see the wound." Leo directed, with his back still turned to his guest, and heard the rustle of cloth behind his as the cloak was removed. As he worked, he asked her curiously "What in the world were you doing that you got shot for? Or were you just hit by one of the guards on accident?" Rose looked thoughtfully at Leo before replying carefully, "I had a errand tonight that needed to be taken care of is all." Leo snorted as he finished gathering supplies, "So you were the criminal the guards were asking about. I take it you were the assassin that targeted the Count then, are you not?" he inquired, and felt her focus her eyes on his back.

Leo turned around with a basin of hot water and an armful of bandages and regarded the person sitting in his kitchen with causal surprise. "Well that's not quite what I was expecting." He said with a cheerful smile as he placed the water and bandages on the table. A woman sat there, wearing a pair of tailored leather pants and a snug fitting embroidered shirt. There were thin blades strapped against her arms, and a weapons belt around her slender waist. She had dark, honey toned hair with blue eyes that were currently trying to mask the pain she felt, and a slender, althletic, but womanly body. "What were you expecting, a man? And how could you have known that I was an assassin before seeing all of this?" she asked him curiously, gesturing to her weapons, and Leo simply smiled. " I have a close friend in that trade as well, so it doesn't surprise me much. Don't worry, you'll be safe here for as long as you need a place. I must ask though that you remove your shirt so I can actually take care of that arrow…" Leo finished with a frown, and the woman sighed.

"I figured. And I really liked this shirt too…" She said, grimacing at the blood staining the fabric as she unlaced the front of it, and laid it across her lap. Leo nodded casually and examined the wound again. Her entire shoulder was caked with blood and dirt, which Leo wiped away with a damp towel before he continued. "A single point arrow…Not too difficult to get out luckily…" Leo mused, and then turned to his guest. "Can you manage this or would you like something to bite on?" he asked her gently, and she shook her head, "I'll be fine." She told him, and Leo let out a slow breath before pushing the arrow out through her back quickly. She hissed in pain, clenching her hands and teeth, but remained silent otherwise.

Leo broke off the point of the arrow and pulled the main part of the shaft out of her shoulder. This done, he wiped the new blood from her back and chest away with the towel, and threaded a needle. "You sure you don't want anything still?" he asked her, and she nodded again. Leo shrugged and because to stitch the wounds closed with ease, then covered them with an ointment before wrapping bandages loosely over the area. He tied the knot in the end, "And done!!" He declared proudly, and looked at the woman curiously. "I got so wrapped up in getting that arrow out, that I neglected to even ask your name!" Leo said, his mood fading from happy to one of consternation and he hung his head unhappily.

The woman laughed "In return for you helping me, I can at least give you my name as long as you swear to never tell another of it." She said, pausing until he nodded and then continued. "My name is Rosebella Alba Calandra." Leo's eyes widened at the name and he looked at her in shock. "You mean… you're one of the Calandra's?!" He asked in surprise, and Rose nodded. "I am the last of the Calandra's." she said, raising her head proudly, and looked him in the eye as if daring him to contradict her.

**Again, to those of you who have remained hopeful all this time thank you! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter and that you don't all absolutely hate me for taking so long… I'll try to have an update every month at the least since I'm done with school until fall classes start! **


End file.
